Spherical final SUMMILUX R 50mm 2nd E60
A review and Photo example of the SUMMILUX R 50mm F1.4 Type-II E60.
Table of contents
Gallery
- The following cameras were used to take the example photographs:
- LEICA R8 +KODAK P100
- LEICA R8 +DMR(Digital Module R)
- LEICA CL
- SONY α7Sii
Review
1．Overview
The SUMMILUX R 50mm E60 (new type II) is a large aperture standard lens for the Leica R mount, released in 1997, at the end of the Leica R mount era.
This lens has a lens configuration of 8 elements in 7 groups to improve image quality from the old Summilux.
The main changes are a 60mm filter diameter, a larger front lens, and an additional lens in the center.
The old Summilux R 50mm E55 has a lens configuration of 6 elements in 5 groups and a filter diameter of 55mm.
No aspherical lenses are used, and I have only seen R-CAM and ROM-compatible lenses, and 3-CAM is assumed not to exist based on the production date. Approximately 2700 lenses were produced.
The last spherical Summilux M was released in 1992, so this lens released in 1997 is the last spherical Summilux 50mm.
2．Usability
The SUMMILUX R 50mm E60 is a lens made in the era of film cameras. However, I have no complaints about the image quality when I take pictures with a digital camera. The lens I own is a 382xxxx, made in 1998, the year this lens was most commonly made.
The gallery shows the results of taking pictures with a film camera and a digital camera. You can feel the balance between sharpness and softness that the lens has in both results.
When I used it with a LEICA R8 and negative film, it matched well with the rough grain of the negative film.
Judging from the results with the negative film, it seems that you can enjoy the unique softness and sharpness of the image even when used with monochrome.
The hood does not extend much, only as a bonus. Even so, the lens itself has good resistance to backlight, so I rarely had any trouble with the lighting conditions when taking pictures.
With the standard split finder on the LEICA R8 film camera, I was able to focus without any problems from the widest aperture.
This lens could be used without any problems with an EOS-1 Ds MKIII equipped with a 35mm full-frame sensor.
Some R-mount lenses may cause lens errors when used with an EOS equipped with a 35mm full-frame sensor.
This lens occasionally pops up on Yahoo! Auctions and eBay, but is priced quite aggressively.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to summarise the SUMMILUX R 50mm E60, the lens barrel has been changed to the latest Leica R E60, making it a little thicker and heavier. Still, it is quite compact compared to the retrofocus standard lenses of the 2020s.
The image quality does not have the sharp resolution and sharpness of the latest retrofocus standard lenses, but when you look at the results, you’ll find the exquisite balance addictive.
Specification and Competitor
Comparing the old and new SUMMILUX R 50mm, the new model has a slightly larger diameter and an additional lens in the center. The larger diameter is to increase the amount of light around the edges, and the additional lens in the center is thought to be for aberration correction.
| Items | SUMMILUX R E55 | SUMMILUX R E60 |
| focal length(mm) | 50 | 50 |
| Maximum aperture | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Minimum aperture | 16 | 16 |
| Aperture blade | 6 | 8 |
| Lens Construction | 7elements in 6groups | 8elements in 7groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Lens length(mm) | 50.6 | 51 |
| Lens Max diameter(mm) | 68.5 | 70 |
| Filter Size(mm) | 55 | 60 |
| Weight(g) | 395 | 490 |
| Release date | 1989~1995(Model 1777) | 1997~2005 |
| Production numbers | 4,149（Late） 35,322（Early+Late） | 2,700 |
The comparison photo below shows, from left, the SUMMILUX R50-E60, the SUMMILUX R50-E55, and the SUMMICRON R50-E55.
The SUMMILUX R50-E60 is the largest and heaviest because it has the most lenses.
Reference links
- All about the R-type Leica / Author: Shinichi Nakamura / Edited by Asahi Sonorama Ads by Amazon
- SUMMICRON-R 50mm F2 Leica wiki
- LEICA Wiki SUMMILUX-R 50mm F1.4 E55
- LEICA Wiki 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-R II E60
- LEICA Wiki 「SUMMILUX 1.4/50-3rd」
Update history
- 2025.5.14
- 2024.12.16
- 2024.02.20
- 2022.04.14
Leave a Reply